National Health Insurance Scheme begins retreat in Kaduna State
By Asma’u Halilu, Kaduna
The National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS has commenced a two day retreat on educating top management on its 10 year Strategic plan.
In an interview with the Executive Secretary, Professor Mohammad Sambo, he said the retreat, which was about educating top management on the new ten years strategic plan of the scheme, has just been developed.
According to him, the ten year plan has been produced as a result of an initial intervention in the NHIS, saying, a lot of efforts have been put through to the development process.
“It is a document that is supposed to give universal health coverage declaration of sustainable development coverage that every Country is expected to achieve which is in line with President Buhari’s next level agenda,” he said.
He further noted that, it is a plan that will bring all the health insurance agencies and actors in Nigeria to have a common platform and direction towards realising the ultimate vision of the NHIS.
The NHIS boss explained that, a lot was expected to be achieved in terms of having a credible organisation that would be able to drive a process of attainment of universal health coverage.
He said, “The plan has the ability to avert financial risk protection by having or ensuring pulling risks and resources that will cover the entire population with respect to health care delivery. It also has an avenue where innovation and creativity will be done in terms of mobilizing resources through innovative financial mechanism to allow for accumulation of resources for attainment of universal health coverage”.
Access to Affordable Healthcare
The Executive Secretary further stated that, at the end of the day, every Nigerian should have access to quality and affordable healthcare delivery system.
He disclosed that, the plan also has provision for people working at formal sectors and other vulnerable people living in the rural areas, women, children and people with disabilities.
“It is an all encompassing document that will guide us to move from one point to another on insurance development in Nigeria,” he said.
Sambo said for those residing at the rural areas, having a hand set would enable one dial, registration, and selecting health mobilisation and healthcare provider to access quality health.
He therefore called on all Nigerians to join the scheme in order to enable them enjoy and access quality healthcare delivery service at low and affordable price.
Sambo assured that NHIS was working hard to inform and educate all Nigerians on finding ways to key into the program so that the prevailing healthcare challenges and mortality in the Country could be addressed.
Redefining Health Insurance Delivery System
In a separate interview, Deputy General Manager, Planing and Monitoring Department, NHIS, Dr Kurfi Abubakar, said, the strategic development plan which was part of the reform plan of the NHIS was aimed at redesigning and redefining the way health insurance delivery system works in Nigeria.
He noted also that, the strategic plan which was a document, would itemize how the NHIS was supposed to provide comprehensive health insurance to the entire population of Nigeria through a well organised and systematic way based on global best practice.
He said, “It contains all the blue print, the activities, initiatve, policies and resources that are needed for the scheme to actually provide health insurance to all Nigerians”.
Kurfi assured that, the purpose is to ensure every Nigerian has health insurance and that no one suffers hardship as a result of seeking health care by implementing the plan.
Confidence Okwuchi
